NFL draft diary: Towson running back Terrance West

Aaron WilsonThe Baltimore Sun

Editor's note: Towson junior running back Terrance West declared early for the NFL draft after setting school records with 4,584 rushing yards and 86 touchdowns. The 5-foot-9, 223-pound Baltimore native is not enrolled at Towson this semester as he pursues the NFL and is sharing his draft experiences with Baltimore Sun reporter Aaron Wilson. At the NFL scouting combine, West delivered a strong performance as he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.54 seconds with a 33.5-inch vertical leap and caught the football smoothly in drills. West had formal meetings with 13 NFL teams, including the Ravens and Cleveland Browns. This is the sixth in an occasional series leading up to the draft in May:

I had a pretty good week. I definitely got back to work. I did lower-body work and upper-body work on alternate days. We've been getting after it. My trainer is doing a great job.

I'm maintaining a strong attitude, and I feel like I'm doing a great job of getting ready for the draft.

I'm excited about the visits and the workouts with the teams that are coming up. Since I went to the scouting combine, I've already got a good feel for it. It won't be a surprise, and I know what to expect.

This is amazing. I've been through a lot in my life. So have a lot of other people, but I use everything I've had in front of me as motivation. It's what wakes me up in the morning to see where I came from. I don't take anything for granted. It was hard growing up on the west side of Baltimore. It was a struggle, but I made a name for myself. I stayed focused. Whatever the situation was, I always stayed positive.

When I went to Fork Union Military Academy after high school, it helped me out a lot. I've always been a disciplined person, but Fork Union gave me another boost and prepared me for college. I got up at 5:30 a.m. every day. In college, we practiced at that same time, so I was already on that time schedule. I'm happy I went there.

My pro day at Towson is on April 7. I'm excited about anything to do with football, so I can't wait for it to get here.

My son, Brendan, is 5 years old. He's most definitely a blessing. I can help my son by making it to the NFL. I never had a father in my life, so my son means everything to me.

Even if I didn't have the money coming from the NFL, it doesn't mean anything. It's not about the money. It's about taking care of your own any way you have to, but it will help financially as far as taking care of my son. It's all about being a good father. That's the most important thing.